


as the crow flies

by CrazyAce_n_PokerFace



Category: Haikyuu!!
Genre: 5 + 1 Things, 5 Times, F/M, Fluff, Friendship, Male-Female Friendship, Matchmaking, POV Male Character, Suga&Yui friendship ftw!!!, oblivious daichi, so so so much fluff
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2015-03-31
Updated: 2015-03-31
Packaged: 2018-03-20 13:06:30
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 5,943
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/3651453
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/CrazyAce_n_PokerFace/pseuds/CrazyAce_n_PokerFace
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              
<p></p><blockquote>
  <p>Suga sighs. He’s certain that the only person in their year who doesn’t know about Michimiya’s crush on Daichi is... well…<i>Daichi</i>. He loves his best friend, he does, but Daichi’s not the most observant of people, especially when it comes to young girls’ feelings.</p>
  <p>Glancing speculatively at the pair, Suga nods solemnly to himself. It’s time to do something about this. For Michimiya’s sake, at the very least. Daichi will thank him later, after they’re happily dating.</p>
</blockquote><p class="p1">
  <span class="s1">—Or, five times Suga failed epically at being Yui's wingman, and one time he succeeded—a DaiYui story in six acts, wherein Suga is the captain of the DaiYui ship, and ropes everyone else into becoming part of the crew. ;)</span>
</p>
            </blockquote>





	as the crow flies

**Author's Note:**

  * For [whitemiists](https://archiveofourown.org/users/whitemiists/gifts).



> Written for Day Three of [Haikyuu Rare Pair Week](http://hqrarepairweek.tumblr.com/). Prompt: Date/Seasons. Rating: G for tooth-rotting amounts of fluff & friendship. Words: 6,000. Many thanks to [michichans](http://tmblr.co/mtZt3NXMz8VwAxuXUyHD3LA) for the beta & the boundless encouragement. ^^
> 
> Also found [on tumblr.](http://crazyacenpokerface.tumblr.com/post/115100077196/as-the-crow-flies)

 

* * *

 

_i. after class_

 

* * *

 

It starts in spring.

Suga watches Michimiya giggle nervously and smack Daichi’s shoulder, noting how red her face is and how widely she’s smiling. She’s done something with her hair—there’s a bow in it, one that’s a pretty orange, and he thinks she might be wearing eye makeup? Her lashes look longer, certainly.

Daichi, of course, doesn’t seem to notice anything’s different about her appearance.

Suga sighs. He’s certain that the only person in their year who doesn’t know about Michimiya’s crush on Daichi is...well… _Daichi_. He loves his best friend, he  _does_ , but Daichi’s not the most observant of people, especially when it comes to young girls’ feelings.

Glancing speculatively at the pair, Suga nods solemnly to himself. It’s time to do something about this. For Michimiya’s sake, at the very least. Daichi will thank him later, after they’re happily dating.

 

* * *

His first plan of attack is relatively simple:

Set them up after class. What could go wrong? Daichi loves volleyball, Michimiya loves volleyball, and as captains of their respective teams, they surely have lots of captain-like things to talk about.

So he volunteers to stay behind with Daichi to take care of some club paperwork, reassuring Kiyoko-san that they’ve got everything covered. He also sends Michimiya a text message, telling her to bring her team’s sign-up forms, too. A few seconds later, he gets her reply:

_**really?! thnx a bunch, sugawara!!! i hate paperwork, lol. :DDD** _

_no problem, michimiya. meet us at the gym at 3:30?_

_**yeah!!!! \0/** _

 

* * *

Everything’s going to wonderfully to plan: Michimiya got there a few minutes early and Daichi was running a few minutes late, so Suga gets to ask her how college exams are going, where she’s likely to end up, if she plans on continuing volleyball…? The answer’s yes, of course, and Michimiya’s ridiculously happy to find out that he, too, wants to play in college.

“Ahhh, I hope we all end up at the same university! You’re probably going to end up at some fancy genius school and leave me and Daichi behind, though,” she says, flattening her upper body on the table they’ve set up by the courts.

“That’s not true,” he says gently, pushing her off the paperwork.

Her only reply is to poke her tongue out at him, and so when Daichi walks in a few seconds later, they’re making weird faces at each other.

Michimiya immediately drops her hands from where she was wiggling them by her ears and straightens up. “Sawamura! Hey!” she exclaims, face going redder than a sunset. Suga coughs to hide his amusement, but doesn’t much succeed, if her glare in his direction is anything to go by. “We saved some paperwork for you,” she mutters, smacking a folder against Daichi’s chest as he walks around to her side of the table.

“Thanks,” he replies, flashing her a steady smile, and Suga can practically  _see_  her melt at the sight of it. She’s definitely got it bad, poor girl. Well, not so poor now that he’s acting as her wingman.

A few minutes later, he casually suggests that he go grab some snacks from Coach Ukai’s store. Daichi agrees easily enough, but says that he ought to be the one instead since he was late. Suga has to claim mild claustrophobia and a need to stretch his legs to get him to stop, and then has to wave away Michimiya’s offer to go with him to help pay for and carry things.

“No,” he says firmly. “I’ve got this. Besides, somebody needs to stay behind and help Daichi with paperwork. He needs assistance with the more complicated kanji,” he claims with a straight face.

“Hey!” Daichi protests.

“Oh, I admit you’re fine at  _reading_  them, but not even Kiyoko-san can translate your handwriting sometimes,” Suga says.

Michimiya snorts so hard she has to cover her mouth with a fist to stop. “Th-that’s true, Sawamura! Remember that time Ikejiri couldn’t find the karaoke place because he couldn’t read your directions?  He ended up at a yoga class for pregnant ladies!”

As Daichi splutters and denies such a thing ever happened, and Michimiya only laughs harder and slaps him on the back, Suga edges carefully out of the room, then strolls down the lane to the shop, whistling contentedly.

Phase one: successful.

 

* * *

 

…except that turns out not to be the case, as he returns a good twenty minutes later (hey, no one said he had to take the  _short_ way back), only to find Tanaka, Hinata, Kageyama, and more than half of the rest of the team there when he gets back.

“Ah! Suga-senpai!” Hinata exclaims happily, jumping back and forth like a particularly enthusiastic cricket. “You’re here! Do you have the snacks? Huh? Huh?”

“What are you guys doing here?” Suga blurts out, made rude by surprise. He specifically chose a day there wasn’t practice to avoid this happening! Why are they all here?!

“Oh, well, I said to Kageyama that my serves have totally gotten better, but he didn’t believe me, so I said, ‘hey, why don’t I show you and prove it, huh? Huh?’ And he said ‘sure,’ and I said ‘okay,’ and so we got Tanaka-senpai to come judge us, and as we were walking by the gym, guess what? It was open! And Daichi-san was here, and so was Michimiya-san, and they were doing paperwork and stuff but Michimiya-san said she was almost finished, so she could get out of our way, and I said, ‘no! you’re not in our way!’ Even though stupid Kageyama totally said she was, like the rude weirdo he is!”

“Did not!” Kageyama shouts.

“Did, too!” Hinata shouts back.

“Hinata…” Suga says, mildly horrified.

Hinata just shakes his head. “Kageyama just doesn’t know how to treat girls! So I said she wouldn’t be out of the way if she was the one judging, right? So now she’s gonna help critique my technique, which is really cool! I mean, she’s a captain, right?! So she totally knows her stuff!”

Suga can only stare as Tanaka drags the bag of volleyballs out and tosses one to Hinata. Michimiya’s still sitting at the table, and some of the paperwork has been written on to show numbers for judging points. His only consolation is that Daichi is also standing next to her and still chatting with her.

Suga sighs and smiles at the expectant Hinata. “That’s great,” he says, and mostly means it. It’s not really his kouhai’s fault that they’re all volleyball-obsessed idiots who can’t read the atmosphere if their lives depended on it.

Not that there was likely much of an atmosphere to begin with. Suga’s probably going to have to take a more direct approach with his next attempt.

* * *

 

  _ii. training camp planning_

 

* * *

It continues in summer.

“Hey, Michimiya,” he says, approaching her table at lunch.

“Sugawara!” Michimiya face immediately lights up, and she shuffles down the bench, automatically making room for him.

He smiles back. “Ah, no, that’s not really necessary. I just wondered if I could talk to you for a bit…?”

“Sure, sure!” She waves goodbye at her friends and follows him into the hall. “So what’s up?” she asks, as soon as they get outside.

“Sawamura and I are planning the summer training camp with Coach Ukai, Take-sensei, and Kiyoko-san. We were wondering if you had any valuable input?”

She wrinkles her nose. “Eh, not really. I wasn’t as good a captain as I could’ve been, you know? I’m sure you’ve got everything covered.”

“Yeah, but I think  _Daichi_ could really use some help,” he says, waggling his eyebrows at her.

Michimiya gets the message. “Wha—no way!” she says, smacking him, then looking anxiously up and down the hall, relaxing only once she sees it’s mostly empty. She pouts at him. “I knew you were trying to set us up a few weeks ago! Sugawara! What were you thinking!”

He laughs. “Come on, Michimiya, you could use the help. Everyone knows Daichi’s too dense to notice this kind of thing unless you hit him over the head with it.”

Michimiya groans and leans her forehead against his shoulder. “Sugawaraaaaa…” she laments. “Why is he so…so  _him_?”

“There, there,” Suga says, patting her back consolingly.

 

* * *

Michimiya shows up the meeting dressed in battle gear, green beanie perched on her head and lips carefully tinted with lipgloss. Suga gives her a subtle thumbs up and she beams delightedly at him, then takes her place by Kiyoko-san and Take-sensei. They spend a few minutes chatting, and Kiyoko-san even compliments Michimiya’s makeup, while Take-sensei says she looks especially nice. Kiyoko-san shoots him an inquisitive glance, and Suga replies with a quick nod, glad to see her lips curve up in a smile. He’s sure he can trust her to handle asking him to walk her home, leaving Daichi to take Michimiya back to her place like the gentleman he is.

And then everything goes to hell once Daichi and Coach Ukai arrive.

It’s Coach Ukai’s fault, if Suga’s honest. And he means well, he really does, but he picks up on Michimiya’s crush about two seconds into the meeting and then proceeds to make everything extremely awkward with his patently transparent attempts at matchmaking.

“So, Daichi, you know Michimiya-chan here for long?” Coach Ukai asks.

“Since middle school,” Daichi replies automatically. “Now, how much should we budget for meals, do you think?” he says, looking at Kiyoko-san.

“Middle school! So long! You lucky dog! Aren’t you glad you know such a pretty girl, eh? Eh?” Coach Ukai says, completely ignoring the second half of what Daichi said and elbowing him in the side. Michimiya looks like she wants the floor to open up and swallow her; Suga’s sure his face looks the same.

Daichi frowns a little. “Kiyoko-san is very pretty, too,” he says loyally. “All the girls here at Karasuno are.”

“Riiight,” Coach Ukai says. “But Michimiya-chan here is special, huh?” He nods at her, giving her a friendly grin. “I’ve seen you at games, right?”

“Right,” Michimiya replies with an answering smile, obviously relieved at the sudden change in subject.

“Yeah, thought so! You cheering for Daichi here?” Coach Ukai wiggles his eyebrows suggestively.

Michimiya’s smile freezes on her face. “I-I was cheering for everyone!” she protests.

“What? But a girl always cheers especially loud for her boyfriend, right?” Coach Ukai presses.

“B-b-b- _boyfriend_?!” Michimiya squeaks.

“Oh, wow, look at the time, don’t you have to be going home, Michimiya?” Suga says desperately.  The plan has backfired and it is time to get out before Michimiya completely loses it and combusts from embarrassment. “Here, why don’t I walk you there?”

“Yes! Right! Home! Walk! Let’s go!” Michimiya replies, and fairly drags the both of them out of there, much to Coach Ukai’s bewilderment.

(“What did I say?” he says to Take-sensei.

“You wouldn’t understand,” is the muttered reply.)

 

* * *

_iii. the cultural festival_

 

* * *

It’s still going on in autumn.

Alright, so thus far all the attempts have been disasters, and Suga suddenly has a greater understanding for why Michimiya has been unsuccessful for so long. It’s bad enough that the object of her affections is so volleyball-obsessed he probably wouldn’t be able to catch a hint if it smacked him right in the face, but when even his kouhai and his  _coach_ of all people seem intent on sabotaging her efforts, Suga is beginning to suspect that the universe may be conspiring against them.

After the third after-practice “date” he sets up between them is hijacked yet again by his lovable, enthusiastic, and _completely imbecilic_ volleyball kouhai (it’s not even the first years who are the worst—it’s  _Noya_  and  _Tanaka_ , of all people), he takes all of them aside and explains in mild, patient terms what his and Michimiya’s game plan is.

“Waaaah! Really?! Michimiya-san likes Daichi-senpai?!” Hinata has his hands held flat against the sides of his head in surprise.

Tsukishima rolls his eyes. “Idiot Hinata, of course she does. Anyone with a pair of eyes can tell.”

“ _I_ didn’t know!” Hinata exclaims, and Tsukishima replies, “Case in point,” while Ennoshita and the others end up snickering.

Tanaka and Noya, on the other hand, appear to be holding back tears. “Daichi-san! So manly!” Tanaka says.

“Argghhhh! I’m so jealous! He’s got a cute girl chasing him! Lucky!” Noya replies. “Ryuu! We must strive to reach his heights! On our honor as men!”

“On our honor as men!” Tanaka replies, solemnly nodding.

“On your honor as men, I would prefer that you stop getting in the way of my strategic attempts to leave them alone together,” Suga says dryly.

Kageyama, silent for the most part, raises his hand at this point. He looks earnestly focused if genuinely confused when he asks, “Senpai, I know this is very important, but what does this have to do with volleyball?”

Suga holds back a sigh before mustering the energy to smile gently at his kouhai. “Let’s just say that it’s for my peace of mind,” he declares.

 

* * *

The thing is, during all the times their kouhai have crashed their dates, Michimiya has been her usual cheerful, friendly self. So friendly, in fact, that Daichi takes it for granted that when she’s hanging out to help out the boys’ team, she is, in fact, there for the  _whole_  boys’ team. So whenever Suga tries to sneak away, Daichi gives him a stern look and jerks his head in Michimiya’s direction.

“She’s here to help,” he says. “You should at least stay as long as she does.”

“Right,” Suga says tiredly, shooting an apologetic glance at Michimiya once Daichi’s back is turned. She just shakes her head and gives him a thumbs up to signal that it’s fine.

Suga mentally adjusts his estimation of what percentage of the problem is due to Daichi’s obliviousness, shifting it up from low 70’s to high 90’s. Maybe 98%? That sounds about right…

 

* * *

He brings it up amongst his teammates, who have also become invested in this scheme of his after his little pep talk.

“Cheer up, Suga-san! There’s always the cultural festival!” Tanaka says.

Suga exchanges thoughtful glances with Asahi. “Ye-es,” he says slowly. “You’ve got a point there.”

 

* * *

Luck, for once, turns out to be in their favor, since Class 3-A (Michimiya and Asahi’s) is working together with Class 3-C (his and Daichi’s).

“I propose we do a play,” he says firmly.

“Yeah! Romeo and Juliet!” Yoshimura suggests.

“No way! Everyone always does Romeo and Juliet! Let’s do something else!”

“But we have all the costumes from last year!”

“So? Doesn’t mean we have to do it again.”

“It’s so much fun, though,” Michimiya says, her eyes shining. She’s not in on this particular plan, but Suga thinks she’ll be perfect for the role of Juliet, and opens his mouth to say so—unfortunately, she beats him to the punch and continues, “and who says we have to keep doing it the way we’ve always done? We can switch the parts around! I can be Benvolio!”

A murmur of excitement goes through the room and Suga can see his carefully constructed agenda fall to pieces. “Wait a minute—” he starts, but it’s too late.

Within minutes, the roles have been cast, and the only thing that went according to plan is the fact that Daichi is Romeo, however reluctant. Michimiya didn’t get her desired role of Benvolio, but the class agrees she’d make a good Paris. And Suga, to his horror, is Juliet.

 

* * *

Practicing for the play is actually lots of fun, even if he finds the dress awkward to move in and is a bit disturbed at how… _enthusiastic_  some of his classmates are over him playing Juliet.

“You make a really pretty girl, Suga!” Abe assures him.

“Thanks,” he says with a small smile, holding still so Kiyoko-san can properly apply makeup to his face.

At least Michimiya looks when good cross-dressing, too. She’s earned herself a legion of fans, both male and female, who come to the practices to watch her stride around in tights and recite her lines with gusto, waving her sword (a genuine katana borrowed from her father) about to punctuate her improvised additions. Suga pats himself on the back when he sees her approach Daichi to ask him to teach her how to “properly swagger.”

“I don’t swagger,” Daichi protests, laughing.

“Sure you do!” Michimiya insists. “Like, whenever you stride onto a court for a game! You look super-cool and intense and you totally swagger! Teach me to do it like that!”

Suga is gratified to see Daichi turn red at her little speech. Good for Michimiya. She deserves to make Daichi blush instead of the other way around every once in a while.

 

* * *

It’s opening (and closing) night.

“Suga-senpai! Don’t do it! Choose Michimiya-san!” Suga carefully ignores Hinata’s shouted warning and concentrates on saying his lines. The whole team is there, crowded on the front seats. “Suga-senpai! It’ll end badly!”

“Idiot! It’s supposed to end badly!” Kageyama says as Yachi-san tries to shush them both.

Near the end of the play, as Suga lies on a table, pretending to be dead, he can at least be grateful that Daichi and Michimiya spent so much time together choreographing their epic fight scene.

“Juliet! My love!” Michimiya groans dramatically as she dies. “Curse you, Romeoooooooo!”

“Was that in the original play?” he hears Yamaguchi ask Yachi-san, and has to stifle his laughter. Leave it to Michimiya to steal the scene.

 

* * *

_iv. Christmas/Daichi’s Birthday/New Year’s_

 

* * *

It’s winter when he decides to up his game.

Honestly, by this point it’s a challenge. It’s not even that Suga wants Daichi to automatically accept Michimiya’s confession (though he’s certain he would), but he wants her to be able to  _confess in the first place_. No interruptions. No bad timing.  _Nothing_.

So it’s with the determination and drive that he usually applies to volleyball that he plans Michimiya’s three-prong attack in the last weeks of December, ushering everyone into the club room while Daichi’s out talking with the vice-principal and Take-sensei.

“Okay, so we have a lot of opportunities,” he says, pacing back and forth. Michimiya’s got a notebook in hand, which he thinks is overkill, but Asahi just shoots him a look and glances pointedly at the strategy board he’s got drawn up, and he stops teasing her to avoid looking like a hypocrite.

“Mmhm!” Michimiya says.

“First up! Christmas! The time for lovers!” Suga declares.

“Is it just me or is Suga-san really fired up?” Tanaka whispers loudly to Narita.

“You!” he says, pointing at Michimiya, “will take him to the cafe and get hot chocolate!”

“Roger!” she says, saluting playfully.

“You!” he points at everyone else, “will do absolutely nothing to interrupt them! No team bonding exercises! No impromptu volleyball games! No stalking them to make sure the date goes okay!”

“Right, Suga-senpai,” they dutifully chorus.

“Then next up, in case that goes badly—”

“Shouldn’t we be hoping that things go well, though?” Hinata asks, anxious.

“This is just in case,” Ennoshita says dryly, “since events have demonstrated that Daichi is particularly hard-to-catch prey.”

“—Daichi’s birthday! Also known as New Year’s Eve!” Suga turns to Asahi. “We shall commandeer your kitchen on the 30th!”

“Sure, Suga,” Asahi says, smiling reassuringly at Michimiya. Asahi’s a good baker, despite appearances, and Michimiya likes to joke that she only managed to pass Home Ec because he was her partner. She even has pictures of them: Asahi with his hair tied into a neat bun, concentrating on stirring something, and Michimiya with her face covered in flour, laughing. Michimiya’s no culinary genius, but she can manage a red velvet cake with Asahi’s help.

“And then you deliver it to his house!”

“Wait, I thought we were throwing him a birthday party? Then we’d all head over to a shrine the next day!” Noya says.

“Aha! But you see, she delivers it to his house in the  _morning_! She greets him  _first_! Then we have a party later, and voila! The next day we show up at the shrine and, lo and behold, who should be there but Michimiya! Then the rest of us scatter, leaving them alone!” Suga says, eyes feverish. “It’s perfect!”

“But…what happens then?” Hinata asks.

Suga throws up his hands. “I don’t know! It’s up to Michimiya by then!” He turns to Michimiya, placing his hands on her shoulders. “You can do this,” he says, focusing on her face. Is it just him, or does she look a bit blurry? Probably just him. “I believe in you.”

“I believe in you, too!” Michimiya declares, throwing her arms around him. “Thanks, Sugawara!”

“No problem,” he says, a tad breathless from the force of her hug.

 

* * *

Except it wasn’t just her hug, as it turns out. Suga’s out with a cold the very next week, so he’s probably going to miss seeing most of the plan in action, which is a shame, but his head aches too badly for him to muster the energy to regret it much. He spends most of the day in bed, passed out underneath piles of blankets and going through a tissue box and several packs of ice.

His parents are at work when the doorbell rings, so he drags himself out of bed and answers it himself.

It’s Michimiya.

“Sugawara!” she says as he stares blearily at her. “Wow, you look really sick! Here, let’s go back inside.”

“Wha—? Michimiya?” he mutters, letting her prod him back into the living room. 

“Hey, are you home by yourself?” she asks, then looks increasingly worried as he nods. “Okay!” she says. “I’ll take care of you until your folks get back!”

And she proceeds to do just that, heating up some miso soup and force-feeding him, tracking down the cough medicine, replacing the ice in the bags.

“This is nice,” he mumbles, head pressed against her shoulder as they sit on his couch.

“Mmm,” Michimiya says, patting his hair.

He blinks. There was something he wanted to ask… “Why’re you here again?”

She chuckles. “I was dropping off your homework. Daichi and the others were worried when you were absent, and they’ve still got practice, so I volunteered.”

“Practice. Right.” The first years are going to tackle serves, he thinks. He hopes someone translates Noya’s advice into coherent Japanese…

Closing his eyes, he lets himself slump against Michimiya’s reassuring, sturdy frame and goes back to sleep.

 

* * *

He actually spends Christmas with Asahi and Daichi—apparently they insisted on keeping him company during his convalescence.

He turns to Asahi when Daichi’s in the kitchen, rustling up some snacks. “But what about—”  _The plan_ , he wants to say.

Asahi awkwardly pats his hand. “She’d rather we be here,” he says reassuringly. “Besides, she’s taking her kouhai out to that cafe you recommended to celebrate. Apparently more girls are joining the team next term? So she’s treating them and letting them get to know the rest of the team.”

“That sounds like her,” Suga says, inordinately warmed by Michimiya’s selflessness.

 

* * *

He gets to repay the favor on New Year’s; the rest of the plan never comes to fruition because this time it’s Michimiya who’s sick.

“I’m so sorry,” he says wretchedly, dropping by her house with takeout from her favorite ramen shop.

“No problem,” she says, waving him off, but the effect is ruined by the bout of coughing that consumes her.

"This is all my fault,” he says. "You caught the cold from me.”

“I said it’s fine, stupid,” she says, playfully punching his shoulder, but the hit has less force than usual. He’s about to insist she head back to bed when the doorbell rings again. They look at each other, surprised.

“Are you expecting anyone?” he asks, and she shakes her head. So he insists she stays sitting and goes to open the door himself, polite apologies and a firm dismissal ready on his lips.

“Kiyoko-san?” he says instead, shocked. “And— _Daichi_?”

“Wow, way to ignore the rest of us,” Shinomura-san, Karasuno girls’ ace, says dryly. The rest of the team is crowded behind her, and he sees a few give him shy smiles. “And anyway, what the hell are  _you_  doing here, Sugawara?”

“Ah,” he says, slightly embarrassed. “I was just visiting Michimiya—”

“Yeah? So are we,” she says, pushing him aside and stalking into the house, waving the rest of the team in behind her. “Oi, Yui! You doing okay? Me and the girls decided to drop by on the way to the shrine, make sure you were still kicking and everything. Met up with Sawamura and Kiyoko-chan down the street.”

He can’t quite make out Michimiya’s reply, but it sounds excited and pleasantly surprised. He exchanges a grin with Daichi and Kiyoko-san, noting that the former is holding a bag from Michimiya's favorite pastry shop.

“Cupcakes?” he asks.

Daichi gives a sheepish chuckle. “Well, they’re her favorite.” There's something very awkward about the way he's holding himself, almost as if he’s not sure he’d be welcomed here. That's surely ridiculous, though. Daichi's spent more time at Michimiya's place than anyone else outside of Michimiya herself, and Suga’s heard her complaining about her mother complaining about her lack of progress on the Daichi front enough times to know the older woman sees Daichi as an honorary son/future-son-in-law.

“Well, go and give it to her then,” Suga prods, taking the opportunity to matchmake that fortune has so graciously handed to him.

“Right,” Daichi says, then looks at him, still hesitant. “Sure you won’t mind?”

Suga exchanges looks with Kiyoko-san, who says, mildly exasperated, “Daichi-san, just go and say hello. I am sure that Michimiya will be very glad to see you.”

“Right," Daichi says again, sounding more sure of himself. He nods at them and heads up the stairs, towards the sounds of Michimiya and her team laughing.

“I think you're going to have to have a talk with him,” Kiyoko-san says, following after him.

“About what?” Suga asks, perplexed, but she doesn’t hear him. Pity, that; it would've saved them a lot of trouble in the long run.

 

* * *

_v. graduation_

* * *

 

It’s spring again, and Suga is 100% done with this.

Valentine’s Day was an utter disaster; Daichi kept avoiding Michimiya for some reason that Suga wasn't able to get out of him, and she had to wait until after practice was over to give him the damn chocolates (hand-made with Asahi's help; Suga tried the rejects and they were delicious, so he knows the quality’s good), and it's hardly romantic to give honmei chocolates to your crush when he's sweaty and tired, not to mention standing on front of his whole team with his busybody coach looking on and making obnoxious comments. Michimiya tried anyway, but all she got for her garbled confession was a ‘thank you’ and a ‘I’m glad you're my friend, too.’

Which, as Suga knows, has been the same response he’s always given her for the last six years. White Day went normally, too; Daichi gave her a sports wristband like usual—not even a cute bow or anything! Even  _Asahi_  got her a charm, and Suga for his part took her out for tea to console her over her idiot of a crush.

Still, things will be different today. Suga feels it in his bones.

After all, it's not every day they graduate.

Running through the halls after the ceremony, he does his best to track Daichi down in the wake of his sudden disappearance. Where could that idiot  _be_? Michimiya is  _not_ finishing her high school career with the love of her life oblivious to her feelings; she’s just  _not_. They’ve invested too much time and effort for it to end like this!

“Daichi!" he shouts, catching sight of his friends under the sakura trees; the buds are still closed this time of year, but they're guaranteed to look spectacular in a few weeks' time. “There you are! I’ve been looking all over—oh, no,” he says, horrified.

“What?" Daichi says, laughing at his horror-struck expression, but Suga is too busy staring at his jacket to notice. Everyone knows that boys give their buttons to the girls who like them—it’s tradition; Suga’s already given three of his away to a few blushing kouhai, but he hoped to make it to Daichi in time to tell him to save his.

However, Daichi’s second button, the one closest to his heart, is already missing.

“Where’s your second button?” he asks.  _Please tell me Michimiya got there first, please tell me Michimiya got there first, please tell me she's got it in her hands_ ** _right this second_** —

“Hitomi-chan from Class 2-B asked for it,” Daichi says, smiling.

Suga has to fight the urge to shake his friend until his eyes roll back into his stupid head. “You what,” he says instead, tone curiously blank.

“I gave it away?” Daichi gives him a quizzical look. “Come on, Suga, what was I going to do? Say no? It's rude to ignore a girl's feelings.”

Suga just closes his eyes and counts to fifty.

 

* * *

“I’m sorry," he says to Michimiya later that day.

“Don’t be, Sugawara,” she says. They’re standing in the gym, having one last volleyball game in their graduation gear, and Michimiya’s smile is brighter than the sun. She looks over at Daichi, her smile going impossibly wider. “I got his third button anyway. And today's not supposed to be about that. It’s supposed to be about us, all of us,” she says, jostling him with her shoulder. "Congrats on graduating, Suga.”

“Congrats to you, too,” he says, his heart lifting.

Daichi doesn't have a clue what he’s missing.

 

* * *

 

_vi.  a completely normal, completely ordinary day_

 

* * *

 

It’s that in-between time when spring melts seamlessly into summer when it all ends—or, to look at it another way, finally  _begins_.

It's a completely normal, completely ordinary day, and the two of them are walking home from volleyball practice (he never thought he’d say this, but the senpai here at college are even  _more_ volleyball-obsessed than he and Daichi are) when Suga finds out that Daichi’s in love with Michimiya. Has been for years, realized it months and months ago, and is just now getting around to telling his best friend.

It’s just Suga's luck that he’s doing it in the context of encouraging Suga to go after Michimiya himself.

“What," he says, flabbergasted.

Daichi looks straight ahead, avoiding his gaze. “You can ask her out, you know,” he says. “I wouldn’t mind.” There’s a wistful smile playing about his mouth, and Suga  _cannot believe this_.

“What,” he says, still in shock.

“Michimiya. You can ask her out. I mean, I like her, yeah, but I think it’s pretty obvious which one of us she prefers. So you don’t have to hold back for my sake.”

“What,” Suga repeats for the third time.

“I mean, she kept hanging out after practices, wanting to talk with you. And she was really embarrassed when Coach Ukai thought we were dating—you were sitting right there and it was obvious she didn't want you to get the wrong idea,” Daichi says, soldiering on.

Suga starts shaking his head, but his idiot of a best friend just keeps going.

“And even Hinata noticed that you guys had great chemistry in the class play,” he says. “Half the people I talked to said they were bummed that Juliet didn’t run away with Paris.”

_That’s because Michimiya’s really cool!_  Suga wants to yell, but all that comes out is a strangled groan.

“And then she stayed and nursed you back to health when you got sick, and you did the same for her—on New Year’s Day, no less.” Daichi looks at his feet. “And, well, it's sort of easy to see how she got that cold in the first place. You guys were supposed to have a date on Christmas Day, too, right?”

No. Way.

“And of course she gave you Valentine’s Day chocolate. She always gets me some, so it's nothing special, but I saw her give you yours first.”

No. Freaking.  _Way_.

“And I noticed you were missing buttons on graduation day. So. If you guys have been holding back for my sake, please don’t,” Daichi says, giving him a pained but earnest smile.

“Are you telling me,” Suga says slowly, "that the main reason you haven’t asked her out is because you think  _I_ like her?”

“Suga, I just said I don’t mind—"

“You think _I_ like  _her_? You think  _she_  likes  _me_?  _I_ am the damn reason all our plans have been failing?”

“Uh, what—?”

Suga shakes his head, putting his hand to his temple. “No, oh, no, no. No. This is not my fault," he says. “This is  _your_  fault. All your fault. Yours. I am not taking the blame for this, oh, no.”

And with that, he grabs his idiot of a best friend’s shirt and drags him to Gymnasium 3, where the women’s team is cleaning up after their practice.

“Michimiya!” he yells loudly.

“Sugawara, ” she says, surprised.

He tugs Daichi over to her, still not looking at him—because if he does, he'll punch him, and Daichi needs to be conscious for this next bit—and executes a smart bow. “Michimiya!" he shouts again, looking straight ahead and ignoring her teammates' curious stares, keeping a firm hold on Daichi’s sleeve to prevent him wandering away. “I have a very important question to ask!”

“Sure, Suga. What is it?”

“Do you like me?” he says bluntly.

She frowns. “As a friend? Of course I do. You know you're very special to me.”

“No, Michimiya. As a man.” He can see her face turn red, not to mention feel his own cheeks beginning to heat up, but resolutely waits for her answer.

“Uh, no, I don’t, Sugawara,” she says, wringing her hands anxiously. “W-why are you—”

“Just making sure! I, too, only like you as a friend!”

She looks immediately relieved, but only for a few seconds because his next question is: “Who do you like then, Michimiya?”

This is it. This is the moment. This is what all the months of planning and strategy and hope has led up to.

And Michimiya, like always, doesn’t disappoint.

She looks straight at Daichi, the two of them as red as a matching set of apples, and says, "I like Sawamura, of course.”

“Of course you do,” Suga says, satisfied, as her teammates begin clapping and whistling.

“I—you— _Michimiya_ ,” Daichi says, dorky grin breaking out over his face.

“I like you, Sawamura!” she says again. “I have always respected you, and admired you, and cherished your support, and—and—and I like you!”

Suga elbows Daichi in the side. “Say something,” he hisses.  

“I like you, too,” Daichi finally admits, bowing to her. “Please go out with me!”

Michimiya skips the rest of the preliminaries and hugs him so hard she nearly lifts him off the ground. Suga takes the opportunity to snap a photo with his phone, sending it to the rest of the team with the caption, “Captains successfully in love! Ship going full-speed ahead!”

He grins at his two friends, watching Michimiya spin Daichi around. Oh, Daichi's going to owe him  _forever_ for this. He’s looking forward to collecting. Maybe have the firstborn named after him? Michimiya would agree in a heartbeat, he's sure.  Whatever. He can plan it later, certain of success.

After all, this plan turned out alright, didn't it? Suga smugly pats himself on the back.  _Mission accomplished_.


End file.
